Immigration

Coalition Efforts in Saint Louis

Working with MIRA, ACLU, Faith and Community Leaders, Immigration Attorneys and local residents, IFCLA is working on:

1. Gathering data to support the claim of racial profiling of Hispanics/Latin Americans by local law enforcement. 2. Empowering immigrants to know and guarantee their rights. 3. Advocating for immigrants with elected officials in Jefferson City. 4. Educating communities about immigrants and the broken immigration system. 5. Ending mandatory detention / raising awareness about the private prison industry.

Learn About Path to Citizenship

PLAY THIS BOARD GAMEIFCLA has sets of a Path to Citizenship game which you may borrow. Contact IFCLA at 314-721-2977 to make arrangements. We invite you to play it with your family or friends or group… It will open your eyes and your hearts: IFCLA has resource persons to facilitate, as well as dvds as a follow up.

Interfaith Immigration Platform

Interfaith Platform on Humane Immigration Reform

Uphold family unity as a priority of all immigration policies

Create a process for undocumented immigrants to earn their legal status and eventual citizenship

Protect workers and provide efficient channels of entry for new migrant workers

Facilitate immigrant integration

Restore due process protections and reform detention policies

Align the enforcement of immigration laws with humanitarian values

Immigration: A matter of human rights

Principles of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Restore the rule of law: A combination of legal immigration reforms and smart enforcement strategies at the border and the workplace will bring immigrants and immigration out of the shadows and under the rule of law. In particular, we need to get tough on bad actor employers who hire and exploit immigrant workers and undercut the wages and working conditions of all workers by doing so.

Earned path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants: As part of a workable reform package, it is time to encourage the nation’s 12 million undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadow and get onto a multi-step, multi-year path to legal work status and eventual earned citizenship.

Protect workers: In order to reduce illegal immigration, workplace exploitation, unfair competition with American workers, and deaths at the border, wider legal channels are needed so we replace the current flow of unauthorized immigrants with a controlled and legal flow of needed workers. But we oppose new guest worker programs. What we support is a new worker visa program that enables workers to enter legally and have access to full labor rights, the right to change jobs, prevailing wage protections, the right to join a union, the ability to be with close family members, and the option of getting on a path to earned citizenship.

Unite families: Close family members are separated for years, even decades by restricted visas and backlogged government processing. By reducing the backlogs, we promote stronger families, grow the economy, and ensure that those waiting in line get on a path to citizenship faster than those here without papers who come out of the shadows.

Respect due process: Effective enforcement requires checks and balances to guard against abuses by the government, discrimination against those who look or sound “different,” and the ability to have one’s day in court to impartially review questionable government decisions.

Promote English and citizenship; help local communities: As part of comprehensive immigration reform, America needs to renew its commitment to teaching English and promoting citizenship so that new immigrants can become fully-participating new Americans. We also need to provide assistance to local communities to help with legitimate education, health and other costs related to new arrivals.

Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation

Provide an opportunity for hard-working immigrants to become lawful permanent residents

Reform the family reunification process (half the undocumented are family members)

Create legal avenues for workers to enter the US to work in a safe, legal, and orderly manner